A Father's Gift
by Emerald-Leaves
Summary: Legolas recalls a memory in Helms Deep


**A Father's Gift**

**Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters belong to J.R.R. Tolkien and not me. I'm not making any money in this, I wrote it out of pure enjoyment.

Only three short hours had passed since the terrible battle was over. After days of fighting, it was finally all over. Despite impossible odds, despite the fact that they had had fewer men, inferior weapons, having men too old to fight, boys barely out of their mother's hold, despite it all, they had held strong and somehow, impossibly, they had won. They had won!

Sitting away from everyone else in the cavern, the lone elf sat quietly nursing his wounds. During the battle he had sustained several rather deep knife wounds, numerous bruises, and an arrow wound that had pierced into his left side. As much pain as he was in, he did not even let on that he was injured. Secretly he bathed his wounds, secretly he nursed them. Now, in the stilling of the aftermath, the elf rested, eyes closed, breathing deeply, hoping no one knew of his weakness.

After several long minutes of just sitting and listening, the elf opened his clear blue eyes. He heard both cries of joy for those that had survived and wails of sorrow for those that had pasted on before their time. A raw pang regret and sadness hit the elf's heart like the arrow that had struck him. He knew all too well the pain of losing someone; someone loved more than could be described.

Unconsciously, the elf's hand went to his opposite wrist. Taking off his brace, the elf let his fingers brush against the silken strands of hair that were braided intricately in the style of his home. Looking down, he eyed his bracelet affectionately. He always wore it and seldom took it off.

Long strands of bronze, silver, and gold were twisted together lovingly by the elf's father when the warrior had been an elfling. Each lock of hair had been taken as a remembrance of those close to him that had gone to the Halls of Mandos. Those that had not been meant to die…

The silver had been taken from the older brother the young elf had never known, murdered while on patrol before the warrior had been conceived. The bronze had been taken from the elf's uncle, his mother's brother, who had died while trying to protect his young nephew and his sister. The gold from the warrior's mother, who had died shortly after her brother. All of them had been murdered by the same elf; his father's jealous brother.

A tear escaped the elf's eye as he could recall those dark, confusing days. He had only been a child when his mother and her brother had died. He had been forced to watch as they were killed; brutally slaughtered. It had been the worst day of his life. Sadly, that had been the year when he had acquired the two important locks to add to his brother's.

It was a bitter-sweet memory he had, the day he had received his bracelet…

"_What is this, Ada?" the elfling looked to his father with large curious eyes. _

"_This is a bracelet that I have made for you, ion-nín," the father explained patiently, a warm smile upon his fair lips. "Each lock was taken from those that have gone to Mandos."_

"_Really?" the elfling touched the silken hair gently, as though it would all break apart at any given moment. _

"_Yes," the father nodded, still smiling. "The bronze comes from your uncle, the golden," the older elf's eyes filled with tears, "from your nana, and the silver from your older brother."_

_The elfling looked from his gift to his father in confusion. "But, Ada… why would you give me this? They are all gone. I did not even know my brother."_

"_Please do not say such things little one!" his father cried. "They may have all… gone before us, but that does not mean that we should forget them," his voice was a strange mix of sternness and pleading. "You may not be able to see them anymore, but they all loved you with all their hearts. Your brother would have loved you had he…been able to stay longer. _

"_Just remember one thing; even though they are gone, they still love you, and I made this," he held up the bracelet, "so that you would not forget them, so that you can feel their love, even now that they are gone."_

The elf shook his head slightly, as though to clear the past away. Such memories hurt to dwell upon for too long. Such memories were better left to be remembered when times were not so melancholy.

"Hey elf!" came a call from behind him.

Turning around, the young warrior saw his friend walking towards him. The elf noticed the other's stiff movements and limp. It would have been a miracle indeed if anyone came out with not but a scratch. For a horrifying moment, the elf thought of his friends' deaths, and the sorrow he would have to endure once more. All the hair he would have to collect…

"Let's get some food," the dwarf grunted to the elf, as he turned again to walk away, expecting the elf to follow.

A smile formed on the young elf's face. The fact was that his friends had survived this battle. There was no need to harvest any hair; no need to worry. They were all of them safe, all of them alive.

Standing up slowly, the elf followed the bossy dwarf to the upper regions of the hall, his memories tucked away safely.

"_Whenever you are lonely, whenever you need peace, look upon this, ion-nín, and remember that you are loved," Thranduil held his tiny son close to his chest. _

_Legolas buried his face into his father's chest, inhaling the scent of spiced wine and lavender. Cuddling in his father's arms, the tiny prince knew he was safe, and never thought that there would be a time when he felt unloved, not while he still had his Ada around. For in the child's mind, he would never need to harvest his father's hair, not when it surrounded him in an embrace._

**The End**

**Author's note: **This is just a little something I had floating in my head. I'm going to be writing several LOTR fics which will go into depth the story about how Legolas's brother, mother, and uncle all died later on, but I will need to finish up some HP stories first. So thanks for reading, and I would love to hear what you guys think, but please keep in mind, no flames, huh? No one needs to get burned. Thanks again!


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